‘Unjust and unjustified’: Poilievre outlines tariff response – National

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‘Unjust and unjustified’: Poilievre outlines tariff response – National

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has outlined a wide-ranging plan for retaliation against U.S. tariffs, saying “we must put Canada first,” during an address to Canadians on Sunday.

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Speaking to the country from Vancouver, Poilievre shared a wide-ranging plan for retaliation, a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced counter-tariffs worth $155 billion.

“Common sense conservatives condemn President Trump’s massive, unjust and unjustified tariffs, which will damage both American and ********* economies,” Polievre said.

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on most goods from Canada and a 10 per cent tariff on ********* energy products on Saturday. The tariffs will come into effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

In an address to the nation on Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit back against Trump’s tariffs with retaliatory measures that will include immediate tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods as of Tuesday, followed by further tariffs on $125 billion worth of American products in 21 days’ time to “allow ********* companies and supply chains to seek to find alternatives.”

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3:45
Trump tariffs to hit Canada on Tuesday

Outlining his own seven-point plan for retaliation on Sunday morning, Poilievre said the government must respond by recalling Parliament, issuing “dollar-for-dollar” tariffs on the U.S., approaching key U.S. states that will be “up for grabs” in the 2026 congressional election, passing an emergency “bring it home” tax cut, boosting interprovincial trade, and rebuilding the military, among other points.

Dollar-for-dollar tariffs should be aimed at “maximizing the impact on American companies while minimizing the impact on ********* consumers and businesses,” he said.

That meant targeting U.S. products that Canada can do without, that consumers could buy elsewhere, or be manufactured in Canada — such as steel and aluminum, Poilievre said.

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2:41
Trump tariffs will likely hurt U.S. consumers, negatively impact political relations

Poilievre then said the “tariffs must not be a tax grab,” saying all money gained from tariffs should be put towards a “an immediate, emergency, ‘bring it home’ tax cut.”

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“The tax cut would be designed to save jobs, create jobs, crush inflation and boost our economy. We need to cut taxes on work, investment, energy, home building and making stuff at home.”

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That meant axing the Liberal carbon tax and the capital gains tax, as well as Bill C-69, and “green light job-creating projects” such as LNG plants, pipelines, mines, factories and port expansions.

He then said Canada must focus on free trade across the country and “knock down interprovincial trade barriers.”

“We sell twice as much to the Americans as we sell to ourselves. These interprovincial barriers are destructive.”

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4:27
‘Buy *********’: Freeland suggests ‘boycott’ of US goods amid Trump tariffs

Further, Poilievre said Canada needed to “rebuild our military and to take back control of our borders,” citing  ******** immigration and fentanyl overdoses as well as guns coming to Canada from the U.S.

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Poilievre’s final point was to approach key U.S. states that will be “up for grabs” ahead of the 2026 congressional election.

“To pressure the administration to back down, we must… let their congressmen and senators know that they will be running on a bad economic record if refinery workers have lost jobs because ********* oil can no longer make it to them, or if young families can’t buy homes because lumber is even more expensive for home builders, or families that are already suffering from inflation are paying more for gas because our energy has become more expensive due to American tariffs.”

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5:41
How Trump’s tariffs impact Canada’s economy

Like Trudeau a day earlier, Poilievre also took the opportunity to address Americans during his speech.

“You are our friends. You are our neighbours. We share the longest undefended border in the history of the world. You buy our products and we buy yours,” Poilievre said.

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“You have a trade surplus with us when energy is excluded and when it is included, the deal is even better for you because you buy our oil and our gas at massive price discounts. Not because we’re nice Canadians, but because here at home we’ve made really dumb decisions to prevent us from exporting our energy to any other countries.”

Asked at what point the Canada-U.S. relationship would be beyond repair, Poilievre said: “Our friendship with the Americans is not based on any one politician. It is based on our centuries long history of trade, a friendship of common defence, of fighting on the battlefield, arms locked together against common enemies.”

He also stated that he believed Canada was “already in a trade war” that “no one will win.”

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2:45
Trump offers Canada no reprieve from 25% tariff threat

Earlier on Sunday, Trump again blasted Canada and other trade partners on social media.

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He repeated his claims that the U.S. pays “hundreds of billions of dollars” to subsidize Canada, and once again suggested Canada should become part of the U.S.

“We don’t need anything they have. We have unlimited Energy, should make our own Cars, and have more Lumber than we can ever use. Without this massive subsidy, Canada ceases to exist as a viable Country. Harsh but true! Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State. Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada — AND NO TARIFFS!”

During Poilievre’s address, the Conservative Leader once again railed against the idea of Canada becoming the “51st state,” saying Canada is “independent and we are a proud nation. And we will come through this as an independent and a proud sovereign nation.”

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trudeau said Canada’s response “will be far reaching and include everyday items such as American beer, wine and bourbon, fruits and fruit juices, including orange juice, along with vegetables, perfume, clothing and shoes.

 

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